Secrets and Tears
by sugarhigh9394
Summary: A son's revelation. A mother's secret. Pain and loss give way to love and healing. I suck at summaries...


**AN: I was inspired to write this after Season 8 episode 15 'Broken.' AJ Cook showed acting genius once again, and I couldn't get this idea out of my head! :)**

_June 2025_

Henry Jareau was nervous. Scratch that, he was terrified. He had decided that today was the day he was going to reveal a secret that he had been keeping for a long time. He was pretty sure that his mother had no idea (growing up around profilers had its perks), but he wasn't sure how she was going to react to his news. They had never really discussed it when he was growing up. He wasn't about to talk to his father about it, either. William LaMontagne, Jr. had made his choice perfectly clear when he left his family and married his mistress. Henry's mother had never remarried, preferring to be alone rather than get her heart broken again.

He opened the door to his childhood home and walked inside.

"Mom?" he called

"In the kitchen!" JJ called back.

Henry walked into the kitchen and saw that his mother was making dinner.

"How was school today, honey?" JJ asked him.

"Good." he said.

JJ noticed something in his voice.

"What's wrong?"

"What makes you think something's wrong?" Henry asked defensively.

"One, I'm your mother. Two, I am a profiler on one of the best teams in the world. So, I'll ask you again. What's wrong?"

"Nothing's _wrong_, per se. I just... I need to tell you something. And I'm not sure how you're going to react to it."

JJ stopped what she was doing and sat across from him at the counter.

"Henry, what is it? You can tell me anything." she was very worried about her son. He was rarely afraid to talk to her about something. Ever since Will had abandoned them, JJ had encouraged communication to help her young son deal with the trauma.

"Mom... forget it. It's not important."

"Henry, if you wanted to talk to me about it, it is important. Just tell me. It can't be that bad."

"Yes, it can." Henry said. JJ was shocked to see tears in his eyes, and she gripped his hand tightly.

"Oh, sweetheart. It will be okay. You just have to tell me what's going on." she had never seen her son like this. Ever.

"Mom, I... I'm gay." Henry said, looking down in shame.

JJ sat silently for a few moments. Tears ran unbidden down her face as she said

"Henry, look at me."

Slowly, Henry raised his head.

"Listen to me. You are my son. My baby boy. And I will always love you, no matter who you are attracted to, or who you fall in love with. Whether it be a woman, or a man. I will always support you. Always."

Henry started to sob. He jumped up from his seat and gripped his mother tightly in a hug.

"Mom, you have no idea how much this means to me. I've been afraid all these years to tell you, because I didn't know what you would think."

JJ looked at her son. "Have I ever told you about your aunt Amy?"

"I know that she killed herself when you were eleven. Why?"

JJ sighed.

"Henry, I'm going to tell you something that I haven't talked to anyone about in a very long time."

"Okay..." Henry trailed off. His mother had a deep sadness in her eyes, one that had been present for many, many years.

JJ started to speak.

"As you know, your aunt Amy was six years older than me. When I was little, I idolized her. She was my big sister who could do no wrong. Well, in my eyes anyway. So, one day, I was walking home from school, and I saw her with her best friend Kate. They were kissing."

"Your sister was a lesbian?"

"Yeah, she was. When I saw them, I walked up to them and asked them what they were doing. My sister, she was so scared. She begged me not to tell our father. Which I didn't. Unfortunately, some jerk from school saw them, and it spread around town like wildfire. One problem with growing up in a small town: narrow-mindedness. My sister and Kate were ostracized. It got so bad, Kate and her family moved away. It tore Amy apart. But it only got worse. My father was extremely religious. He tried to, in his words 'beat the devil' from my sister. All because she liked women. You have to understand something. My father was not a nice man. My mother was powerless to stop him, if she had tried to leave, he would have gotten custody of me and Amy. Eventually, he sent Amy to a 'camp' that was designed to 'force the homosexuality' out of people. Months later, Amy came into my room, and gave me her necklace, and told me that no matter what happened, she loved me." JJ choked back a sob "She was dead the next morning. I never forgave my father. In my eyes, Amy's death was his fault. A few months after Amy died, my mother divorced him and took me with her. I haven't seen or spoke to him since. My mom eventually married my step-dad, who became a real father to me. It wasn't until years later that I realized the full extent of what my sister had been through. We had a case that involved a young man, who was gay, who had been forced into one of these 'camps' by his parents. We eventually shut down the camp, but so many young men had already been destroyed. I swore to myself that if you ever told me you were gay, I would support you and love you no matter what. I could never put you through what those boys went through. What Amy went through."

"Mom..." Henry gasped. "I had no idea..." he hugged his mom as if his life depended on it.

Mother and son clung to each other and cried. They cried for so many young men and women who had no support from their families, and had lost everything, simply because of their sexual orientation. They cried for a seventeen year old who saw no other way than to end her own life. They cried for an eleven year old girl from East Allegheny, Pennsylvania who was forced to endure more heartache and pain than most people would ever see in their lifetimes. Their tears had a double meaning. They represented loss, yet also represented hope. Hope that maybe, someday, everyone could be loved for who they are.

**AN: What did you guys think? Please review!**


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